Urban Sustainability Bulletin

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December 2018

 GHG Reduction

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Flagstaff Climate Action and Adaptation Plan

Fayetteville to Construct Large Solar Array and Battery Storage Project: Fayetteville will construct a 10 MW solar project and 24 MWh battery storage capacity that will offset 103% of wastewater treatment energy usage.

Fort Collins Releases 2017 Community-Wide GHG Inventory: In Fort Collins' latest community-wide GHG inventory, the city reported that their GHG emissions per capita decreased by 34% and overall GHG emissions decreased by 17% from the 2005 baseline.

Fremont Approves Divestment from Fossil Fuels and Support the Transition to Clean Energy: Fremont will ban future investment in the fossil fuel sector and will adopt policies supporting a transition to clean energy.

Flagstaff Adopts Climate Action and Adaptation Plan: Flagstaff's City Council approved the community-wide Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, which includes an 80% by 2050 GHG emissions reduction goal and a framework for climate resilience.

Philadelphia Introduces Large-Scale Solar Power Purchase Agreement Legislation: Philadelphia's city council introduced legislation to allow the city to enter into a solar power purchase agreement with a renewable energy developer for a 70 MW facility.

Takoma Park Announces Full LED Street Light Conversion Project: Takoma Park will launch a project to convert all street lights to LEDs, which is expected to pay for itself in under two years.

Climate Resilience

 
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Honolulu Commits to Addressing Climate Change: In light of the National Climate Assessment report release, Honolulu's mayor will focus on climate change and resilience in his State of the City address, dedicate budgets for efforts to address climate change, and create specific strategies based on communities needs.  

Social Equity

  
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USDN Members Win Bloomberg Philanthropies U.S. Mayors Challenge: Bloomberg Philanthropies selected Denver, Fort Collins, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia as winners of the U.S. Mayors Challenge, a year-long competition that challenged cities to test bold, inventive ideas to address their most challenging issues including homelessness, air quality, energy efficiency for low-income renters, and the criminal justice system.  

Boston Requires Criteria for Diversity and Inclusion in Future City-Owned Land RFPs: Boston will now require plans for promoting diversity and inclusion and preventing displacement in all RFPs released for new development on city-owned land.

Portland OR Supports Clean Energy Fund for Climate Justice: Portland OR voters passed a ballot measure that will generate new revenue for clean energy and clean jobs through a business licensing surcharge on retail corporations.

Urban Sustainability

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Austin Releases 2018 State of the Food System Report: Austin's latest State of the Food System report found that the number of community gardens increased by 29% since 2015 and identified opportunities to improve healthy food access.

Bloomington Adopts First Sustainability Action Plan: Bloomington's first Sustainability Action Plan outlines a five-year strategy framework and goals in climate, energy, transportation, food, waste, water, and ecosystem health.

Denver Passes Green Building Ordinance: Denver will now require large buildings to install cool roofs and green building options that work best for their context like green space, energy conservation, and renewable energy.

Dubuque Achieves LEED for Cities and Communities Certification: Dubuque received certification in the LEED for Cities and Communities Program, which allows communities to benchmark and communicate performance in ongoing sustainability initiatives.

Vancouver to Develop a Comprehensive City Plan: Vancouver approved the development of a long-term comprehensive city plan that will include strategies to address housing affordability, environmental, and social health challenges.

Governing Selects Chris Castro (Orlando) for Public Officials of the Year Award: Governing selected USDN Member Chris Castro (Orlando) as one of the Public Officials of the Year, an award honoring individual state and local government officials for outstanding accomplishments.